Wild Thunder
by everfaraway
Summary: DT & WF crossover with couple of TF characters.  Even when the WF & DT Rangers meet, they still can't get a break from their respective pair of idiot baddies & grunts.  Pairings inside.  Tiny amount of language.  Leave me a review if u want to see more
1. Chapter 1

Wild Thunder

_**Author: My first cross over WF and DT fic. I find I kinda like it. If anyone is out of character I'm sorry.  
Haven't watched DT in a while and almost done watching WF. Pairing: Alyssa/OC (femslash), Eric/Taylor  
and Merrick/Shayla. The last two pairs are cannon so if u don't like, go fuck yourself. Flamers can go do  
the same. If u want to know Anima's story go read Wolf on the Wind. Not associated with What Happens  
Late at Night or Beautiful Stranger. I don't own anyone but Anima, although several I wish I owned.**_

"Where are we going again?" Max asked, leaning over the seat.

"Reefside. There's another Ranger Team there led by a veteran Ranger." Wes said.

"Tommy?" Cole asked.

"The one and only. He's got a team of four, excluding himself, out there." Eric added.

"Who's Tommy?" Taylor asked.

"The Red Zeo Ranger." Cole, Wes and Eric said.

"Remember when Carter came to pick me up from Turtle Cove?" Cole asked.

"Yeah." Taylor, Danny, Max and Alyssa said.

"No." Merrick added from between Shayla and Anima.

Cole rolled his eyes at the Lunar Wolf Ranger and said, "I met him then. And the original Red Ranger."

"And you had fan boy moments." Wes teased.

"Did not." Cole protested. Wes and Eric both laughed as the other Wild Force Rangers shook their heads at their Red Ranger.

"Is he is always like that?" Anima asked, looking at her parents.

"Yes." Merrick said as Shayla giggled. The relationship between the trio was complicated and bizarre on it's best days and chaotic on it's worst. Merrick and Shayla were learning how to be parents to a daughter Merrick had never known he had.

"You three are quiet back there." Alyssa said, looking back at them between seats.

"We're fine." Shayla assured her. The princess had curled up next her protector with her head on his lap. Merrick's hand was absentmindedly running through her hair as he rested his head against the back of the seat.

"This is it." Wes said as he pulled the van into a parking lot.

"Where are we?" Danny asked.

"Hayley's Cybercafe. It's where we're supposed to be meeting this other team of Rangers." Eric said, opening the van doors to let everyone else.

"Luna it's bright out here." Anima said, pulling her shades from her jacket.

"I think that's Tommy's van. Come on." Wes told them. Unsure and a bit leery, they followed him into the building.

"Those the kids you were expecting?" Hayley asked, nodding towards the door. Tommy followed her gaze, got up and went to greet the group.

"Welcome to Reefside. How was the drive?" he asked, when he meet them just inside the door.

"Long and boring." Wes smirked.

"They slept the whole way." Eric added, nodding to the Wild Force Rangers.

"Not all of us." Danny objected.

"I'll take it from here guys, unless you want to stick around." Tommy offered.

"We need to get back to Silver Hills before dark. We've got to be up early to start training some new Silver Guardians." Wes admitted, rolling his eyes. Eric gave him a playful punch in the ribs. "I'm gonna kick your ass later." he growled.

"Have fun with that." Merrick muttered, rolling his eyes at the Silver Guardians as they walked out.

"Behave." Shayla told him. He immediately settled down and turned to look for Anima. She had walked over to the other end of the cafe where she had found a stage.

"Can I help you?"

Anima turned to see a pretty blonde haired girl in yellow. "Do people actually play here or is the stage for show?" she asked.

"I play on it a lot." the other girl told her.

"Who is she talking to?" Alyssa asked.

"Kira Ford, the Yellow Dino thunder Ranger. She's a regular performer here. Plays guitar and sings." Tommy told them.

"Then they will be inseparable for a while." Shayla laughed. Merrick sighed and steered Shayla towards the counter to sit down.

"Hayley, Conner, Ethan: meet the Wild Force Rangers. Cole Evans, Danny Delgado, Max Cooper, Taylor Earheart, Alyssa Enrile, Merrick Bailton and Prince Shayla." Tommy said, sliding onto his stool and motioning to each in turn. A few greetings and smiles were exchanged. "This is Hayley, an old friend of mine from college, Conner McKnight and Ethan James." he added.

"And it looks like Kira's made a friend." Hayley added, nodding to where Kira and Anima stood talking.

"Or girlfriend is she isn't careful." Max muttered. Alyssa gave him a cold look.

"What?" Conner asked.

"Anima holds no grudges against men, she just prefers women." Shayla said. Ethan and Conner whistled.

"Minds out of the gutter boys." Tommy told them.

"But..." they protested. Merrick narrowed his eyes at them and a growl erupted from his throat. Both teens shrank away from him.

"Merrick." Shayla said, setting a hand on his arm. The growl faded but he kept his eyes locked on the two boys. "Merrick leave them be." she whispered.

"Sorry we didn't come over right away. We got caught up talking." Kira said, sliding into a vacant seat and Anima sat between her and Merrick. Introduction were remade as Merrick finally calmed down. In a short amount of time the story of Animaria was told and Anima's story was told as well.

"Wow, that's kinda weird." Conner said.

Tommy laughed and told him, "Not by Ranger standards."

"I'm gonna step out for some air, it's a little to crowded in here for me." Anima said, getting up. Kira followed her out the door after a nod of permission from Tommy, who had long since become the older brother she had never had.

"Look at we got here. Two Power Rangers."

"Jindrax, Toxica? What are you two doing here?" Anima asked.

"You know these freaks?" Kira asked.

"They're a couple of Orgs that had helped us in the past." she said.

"Foolish Ranger, Orgs can betray their own kind but they never leave the side of evil." Toxica laughed as she tossed a shell shaped container into the air.

"Putrids!" Anima shouted in warning as nearly a dozen ugly black figures appeared on the ground as the Putrids formed.

"Tyrannodrones." Kira explained.

Merrick flinched as a high pitched sound stung his ears. "Merrick?" Shayla asked, touching his shoulder gently.

"I'm fine..." he began as the pain faded as quickly as it had hit him. Then a strong wind tore open the front door of the cafe.

"Where'd that wind come from?" Hayley asked as she went to rescue the papers that had gotten blown behind the bar. The wind ripped through the cafe, pushing skirts, purses and papers out it's way. A split second later, it hit Merrick full force in the face. The wind had always spoken to him, ever since he was a child, but it had never been this insistent before. It forced his eyes shut, pushed his hair straight back from his forehead, tore his jacket from his shoulders and roared in his ears.

"_Orgs, putrids, your daughter. Strange creatures. Strange ranger. Help them." _

"I hear you." he growled as the wind pressed against his chest, making it difficult to breathe. Then it was gone, leaving him a bit out of breath_. _He didn't reach up to brush his bangs back down or bother to straighten his jacket. A heartbeat later, he was on his feet and peeling his jacket off. "Stay here." he told Shayla, dropping the blue and silver leather jacket in her hands. She nodded and he turned his attention to the other five Wild Force Rangers. "The rest of you come with me." he snapped.

Danny, Max, Taylor and Alyssa looked at Cole. The tone in Merrick's voice had plainly said it was not a request but a command. Even though the Wolf was 3000 years older, wiser and stronger than they were, they looked to the Lion for orders. "Come on." the Red Ranger said, hopping off his stool to follow. The other four quickly went after him, several feet behind Merrick.

Tommy watched them go, reminded of his own teen age years. Except it had usually been Jason or Rocky wanted to rush ahead and him needed to reign the Red Rangers in. Even as he remembered, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end just like it always had. "Come on." he told the last three Rangers. Conner, Ethan and Trent were used to his occasional sharp commands that left no questions to be asked and they followed him out the door into the parking lot.

"Let the girls go!" Merrick snapped. He stood front and center with the other Wild Force Rangers behind him. The four new scents in the air and four new sets of footsteps that belonged to Tommy, Trent, Ethan and Conner barely registered to him as he glared at the scene in front of him. Jindrax held Anima to his chest with a blade to her throat. The other male that had called itself Zeltrax held Kira to his chest with a short eerie green dagger to her throat. Toxica and the woman called Elsa stood close by. "Let them go!" he ordered them, a growl threatening to bubble up from his chest.

"I thought you two were on our side." Cole called to Toxica and Jindrax.

"Silly human boy." Toxica laughed.

"You any good in a fight?" Anima asked, glancing over Kira.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing." Kira smirked.

"Just don't scream again without giving some warning, I'd like to keep my hearing." the other laughed.

"Right." the yellow ranger agreed just before Anima sank her teeth into Jindrax's hand.

"She bit me!" He cried out, releasing her. She dropped to the ground and swept his feet from under him, just before she found herself face to face with Toxica's staff.

"You are a very foolish little girl." the org witch told her.

"You're an ugly old witch." she growled up at her.

"How dare you.." Toxica began before she found herself face to face with Anima. The young ranger had taken advantage of the distraction to jump and knock the Org to the ground.

"Bitch." she snarled before using Toxica as a spring board. She did a single flip in the air and landed in a crouch beside Merrick. It was a sight everyone knew well because when ever they morphed together, she would crouch at his side or in front of him. Slowly one of his hands touched her hair as if he needed to be reassured she was at his side again.

At the same time Kira drove her elbow into Zeltrax's ribcage. He lost his grip on her but make a grab for her hair. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to pull a girl's hair?" she demanded, spinning around to kick him in the face. He stumbled back and Else made a grab for her. Kira rolled her eyes and dodged past her. "Cover your ears!" the yellow ranger shouted. All of the Rangers obeyed instantly as she spun back around to let loose a Ptera Scream. She put as much force and breath behind it as she could.

"Let's get out of here!" Jindrax shouted.

"Right!" Toxica agreed and in a flash they were gone. Elsa and Zeltrax followed suite a moment later.

"Come here. You alright?" Tommy asked, as he pulled Kira back to the group of gathered Rangers.

"Fine, just over did it." she whispered hoarsely.

"Let's head back inside. Shayla and Hayley are probably worried." Tommy told them. Nobody protested and they all went back into the Cafe. "Hayley, will you fix Kira something for her voice?" the oldest Ranger asked.

"Sure, what happened?" she asked.

"Over did my Ptera Scream." the yellow ranger whispered.

"I see." Hayley said. Merrick gently stroked Anima's hair as Alyssa slid on the stool beside her. The Tiger gave her girlfriend a stern look that she understood.

"Excuse us." Anima said, sliding away from her father. The two girls stepped away from their team mates and sat at a table in the shadow of the stage. The conversation was whispered, quick and occasionally sharp. Shayla watched them with worried eyes.

"Don't worry, they'll be alright." Merrick assured her softly. She looked at him. There was a swirl of emotions in her Wolf's eyes: a slight bit of anger, confidence and love, always love. She squeezed his hand tightly and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. She no longer wore that long white dress or flowers in her hair. She had however taken to wearing ankle length skirts and off the shoulder blouses. Occasionally Merrick would pick a flower and stick it in her hair, just to reminded of the sight he loved so much. Her long dark locks hung in a braid down her back, tied with a blue ribbon at the end.

Taylor watched as Anima brushed tears from Alyssa's face. "Have they been having a rough time?" Kira asked. She was still a bit hoarse.

"A bit of one. Anima's been really busy with her work and her music. I think Alyssa's been feeling neglected." the Wild Force ranger told her Dino Thunder counterpart.

"I guess Anima hanging around with me didn't help." Kira admitted.

"Anima gets so caught up in what she's doing sometimes that she loses track of what's going on around her." Taylor muttered.

"That sounds familiar don't you think?" a voice asked in her ear. She spun on the stool to face her boyfriend.

"Eric? What are you doing back here?" she asked.

"We got about a third of the way back to Silver Hills when we got the call about the change of plans. Those new Silver Guardians we were supposed to start training aren't coming in until next week. So we have free time until then." Eric told her.

"And he insisted we come back here so he could spend time with you." Wes teased, thumping his brother on the back.

"So that means we're stuck with you two for a bit longer I guess?" Anima said, as she and Alyssa came up to greet the pair.

"Be nice." the Tiger told her.

"I'm teasing them 'lyssa." she whispered, kissing her cheek.

"Did you get everything worked out?" Danny asked as Cole grabbed Wes and started convincing him to play some video game Hayley had set up against the wall.

"Yeah, we're fine." Alyssa smiled. Anima gave her a loving look which was mirrored by Merrick but directed at his daughter. They were wolves to the very core and they loved those closest to them unconventionally. Another breeze blew through the door, not as violent as the last, but just strong enough to ruffle everyone's hair. Both Wolves shut their eyes and listened to the message it carried.

"_Love is at the center of every wolf's actions, never forget this."_


	2. Chapter 2

A Night of Partying & Deep Thinking

**_Author: I've updated all of my PR fics that need it except one. Not sure if What Happens Late at Night will  
get another chapter. Thank Jeremy Shane for the review. Pairings: Merrick/Shayla, Eric/Taylor, Wes/Jen,  
Anima/Alyssa (fem-slash), Tommy/Hayley (cuz it's cute). Mentiond past Tommy/Kim & Tommy/Kat. A  
little bit of language, alcohol & some scantly clad girls being sexy including a minor. Although there are so  
many characters I wished I owned (Tommy, Jason, Merrick, Andros, Ryan, etc): I only own Anima._**

Tommy parked his jeep and motioned for the the van behind him to gravel drive "Didn't you bitch at Conner once for parking on the grass Doc. O?" Trent asked.

"No he smacked me upside the head and then bitched at me." Conner protested.

"Language kids." Tommy told them. It wasn't easy for him to forget that not only was he was their teacher and leader but also a parental or older brother figure too.

"Sorry Doc." Trent and Conner both said as the van door's opened. The Wild Force Ranger's spilled out onto the grass, happy to be out of the stuffy and hot van.

"You guys need better AC in there." Max told Eric and Wes.

"Forget about that, look at this place." Cole said, looking around. Tommy's house was tucked away in a wooded area with a lot of land.

"I like my privacy. But if I decide to have a party, nobody's really close enough to call the police." Tommy said was a devious grin and a wink.

"And nobody would think to look for the bat cave under the property either." Conner joked. Tommy rolled his eyes and went to let everyone into the house.

"C'mon Cole." Taylor called to the Red Wild Force Ranger as they all went inside.

"Leave your shoes by the door please." Tommy said, stepping out of his boots and immediately going inside.

The other rangers all obeyed as Kira, Conner, Trent and Ethan spread themselves throughout the house. "Can I raid your fridge Doc?" Kira shouted from the kitchen.

"You're welcome to whatever I've got, which isn't much right now since I need to go shopping!" The older Ranger's voice came from somewhere deep in the house.

"Hey Trent is this your cell phone charger?" Ethan called.

"What's it say on it?" the white ranger asked as he dug through his bag.

"Motorola and the letter T." the other boy said.

"It's probably mine since I don't think the Doc has a Motorola." Trent told him.

"I do actually but mine is in my bedroom." Tommy said, emerging from somewhere deep in the house. He had abandoned his usual short sleeve shirt with a jacket and slacks for a pair of worn out jeans and a short sleeve shirt that showed off his tattoos.

"Nice ink." Eric told him.

"I have to hide it because of teaching and I don't want them getting messed up when I'm digging up bones or messing with Ranger stuff." he admitted.

"It took us a while to get used to seeing them." Kira said, coming out of the kitchen with several bottles of water in her arms. Trent, Ethan, Conner and Tommy each took one from her as Tommy put his cell phone to his ear. His young team of Rangers settled down comfortably in his living room while the newcomers began exploring his house and the land outside.

"Now I really need to go shopping." Tommy chuckled after several long minutes.

"What for?" Ethan asked, not looking up for his laptop.

"I need to call some old friends back, but odds are good that there's going to be a party here tonight." he said with a smile. All four of the teens heads lifted in interest.

"Can we stay for it?" they all asked immediately.

"Call your parents." was all he said. However there was no mistaking the smile on his face as one of happiness. It was a mix of knowing that so many of his old friends would be over, having a new team around and that even though it would be frowned upon, he was letting four teens break a lot of rules.

Later that night: the full teams of Zeo, Lost Galaxy, Light Speed and Time Force along with Jason Scott and Andros had showed up for the party. How the Lost Galaxy and Time Force Rangers along with Andros had gotten there was unsure but nobody cared enough to ask. All everyone knew was that tonight was all about having a good time and that was it.

"You were very busy earlier so I didn't get a chance to tell you, but I think your home is lovely." Shayla told Tommy from where he stood by the grill.

"Thanks and feel free to roam around as much as you want." he said as a hand reached around him to dab a finger in the bar-b-q sauce. "Jas!" he snapped turning on his old friend.

"Had to make sure it was edible." the original red ranger joked. In the time that had passed since the team of ten red rangers had gathered to defeat Serpentera Jason had slimmed back down.

"I can cook. And you were the one who couldn't in high school." Tommy reminded him.

"I could too cook." Jason protested.

"I guess even though you two got older, you never grew up." They both turned to face Rocky as he walked up to them. He hadn't changed much in the years since they had last seen him.

"How's your back?" Tommy asked.

"Better, still can't do martial arts or anything that might hurt it again but... I'm good." he admitted.

Kat, Tanya, Kendrix, Karone, and Dana were sitting on Tommy's back porch together, chatting about some of the guys that had showed up and how they had changed. "I can't believe how many people heard all about this party." Kendrix said, looking around.

"Power Rangers have a grapevine all their own. Something happens and we all know within a day." Tanya told her.

"That's how we found out about Trini." Kat whispered. The girls all lowered their heads and took a drink of whatever they had in hand in memory of the original Yellow Ranger.

"Looks like some of us prefer to dance not sit around and talk." Dana said, nodding towards the yard.

Ethan had set up a sound system outside and some of the girls were dancing. Alyssa had changed into a black mini skirt and a tank top while Anima wore a pair short denim shorts and a short tank top. They were happy to let people look but nobody touched unless they had permission. Joel Rawlings, the Green Lightspeed Ranger, had found out the hard way because he couldn't take a hint when Anima had began to snarl at him. Carter and Ryan had pulled him away for his own safety.

Maya, the Yellow Galaxy Ranger, wore what appeared to be a caramel colored bikini top and skirt. Her thick brown hair was loose around her shoulders. She wore several necklaces, a couple of which helped draw attention to her ample cleavage. Kelsey wore a yellow tank top with matching shorts that rode low on her hips. Her wavy locks were tied up in a ponytail and her ever present headphones were around her neck. Kira had on a yellow bikini top and black fishnets over it with a yellow mini shirt and black leggings under that. She had tamed her hair and tied it back in a braid. All three young women swayed seductively to the music, not caring whose or how much attention they attracted.

There were three couples who were each off on their own. Jen had her arms around Wes' neck and he had his arms around her waist. She wore a thigh length black skirt and a pink shirt sleeve shirt where he wore a short sleeve red shirt with slacks. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just glad to be back." she admitted softly.

"You should stay, it'd be easy for you to get a job here." he told her.

"I couldn't leave Trip, Katie, Lucas and Circuit in the future." she muttered.

"You could bring them with you." he suggested.

"I don't know Wes." she shrugged. Wes sighed and glanced over at Eric and Taylor.

Eric had changed into a red button down shirt and jeans while Taylor wore a yellow tank top and a black mini skirt. His fingertips played at the hem of the skirt teasingly. "You pull this skirt up Eric Meyers and I will murder you." Taylor warned. He chuckled into her long hair which was loose and pulled her against him. He gave her a small squeeze to remind her that he loved her. Eric was intimidating enough that nobody wanted to try and take Taylor from him but he still shot looks that plainly dared anyone to try at any other guy who passed by. Joel had been on the receiving end of that look a few times already.

Shayla rested her head on Merrick's shoulder as he held her close. She had put on a white off the shoulder shirt and a long cream skirt for the night. Earlier he had grabbed several blue flowers that grew in the area and put them in her hair which she had pinned up on her head in a series of intricate braids. "Three thousand years ago we wouldn't have been able to do this." she whispered.

"I know." he said. And he did, because he still remembered how much pain he had been in all those years ago because he was just her guardian and couldn't have her no matter how much he loved her. Every smile had make his heart race but also made it break.

"I'm sorry." she told him.

"What for?" he asked.

"I've upset you." Shayla said.

"No, memories of the past have upset me. But you never have." he assured her. She sighed and smiled contently. Moments like this were 3000 years overdue and she intended to enjoy every moment of it.

Anima buried her nose in Alyssa's hair and inhaled her Tiger's scent. It was a mix of vanilla, honey and almonds. Her fingertips ghosted over the hem of the other girl's mini skirt and settled on her hip. "Why haven't we gone dancing before?" Alyssa asked her.

"You've never shown an interest." Anima whispered.

"If you had told me you liked to dance I would have brought it up before." she laughed as they rocked their hips in unison to the music.

"Well now you know." the older girl told her. The White Wild Force Ranger smiled and tilted her head back, exposed her throat to her girlfriend. Anima nipped gently at the tender skin before gently licking where she had nipped. Alyssa showing her the soft tender skin of her throat was the ultimate act of trust and love in her eyes.

All the Rangers who had gathered were talking, laughing and dancing. The ones who had never visited Tommy before and the ones who rarely did now knew why their counterparts that frequented his home did so often. Out on this stretch of land owned by the veteran Ranger, they could be normal people not Rangers. Many of them who still had communicators and morphers had abandoned them in their duffel bags for the night. They could forget about any threats they had faced in the past or might face in the future and just worry about hanging out with friends. Lives outside of uniforms were discussed openly along with relationships, family and friends.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to shut down the Cyber Cafe alone because all my help was gone!" Hayley shouted as she ran around the side of the house.

"You should have called! I would have sent someone to help you out!" Tommy called as she bounded up the back stairs.

"Can I use your bathroom?" she asked, already in the doorway.

"The one in my bedroom should be open." he told her. She flashed him a smile before disappearing into the house.

"Who was that?" Jason asked, taking a long drink of beer.

"Hayley Ziktor, an old friend from MIT." Tommy said as he pulled the last of the chicken off the grill. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Dinner's ready everybody, come get it!" Ethan turned the music down as everyone headed for the buffet style meal.

"Old friend or old flame?" Jason teased.

"Old friend. On and off again girlfriend." the black Dino Thunder Ranger told him.

"She knows about you being a Ranger.. for the fourth time?" the original Red Ranger asked.

"Hayley helped me with most of my research with the Dino Thunder project. She also helped me set up what Conner calls The Bat Cave under the house." Tommy admitted.

"I think he's been reading too many comics personally." Hayley said as she slid under Tommy's arm. Her auburn hair was pinned up and she wore a short sleeve shirt with jeans.

"Hayley, this is Jason Scott: one of my oldest friends and the original Red Ranger." Tommy told her.

"Nice to meet you. Tommy's talked a lot about you and most of the other Rangers." Hayley told Jason.

"Same here, except when we talk he usually talks all about work." Jason laughed.

"I prefer to be the person back in the background as far as the Dino Thunder project goes." she said. Jason nodded understandingly and gave Tommy a smile that plainly said he was happy that his brother had finally opened his heart up to another woman after everything that happened with Kat and Kim. Kim of course had dumped Tommy but he and Kat had split up when she was at a ballet school in England and he was getting ready to go to college. The long distance relationship had caused a lot of strain on them both, sparking a few arguments until they just decided to call it quits. After that Tommy had begun to put all his energy and time into anything he did, until he met Hayley who got him to slow down.

Many hours later, at around roughly three o'clock, most of the Rangers were asleep. Some of them were in Tommy's guest bedrooms, doubling or even tripling up while others slept in the living room. A few, like Cole and the other Wild Force Rangers, were in sleeping bags outside. Tommy however found he couldn't sleep so he made his way carefully out of the house and to the back porch swing that he had installed only a few weeks prior. It had been an all day affair for him and his young team of Rangers. "Can't sleep either?" a deep voice asked from behind him. He glanced over the back of the swing at Merrick who sat on the railing of the porch.

"Not really. You?" he muttered, taking a drink from one of the few remaining water bottles.

"I was locked in a tomb for three thousand years, I don't sleep much." the Lunar Wolf Ranger told him.

Tommy nodded and said, "Don't blame you."

"Thank you for having us. Today was... nice." Merrick whispered after a couple of minutes.

"Glad you enjoyed yourself. Did Shayla and the other kids?" he asked.

"Yes they did. Seeing so many Rangers bewildered a few of them." the loner laughed.

Tommy chuckled and said, "That happens sometimes."

"That woman, the one who showed up in time for dinner, is she your mate?" Merrick asked hesitantly.

"My mate?" the former Zeo Ranger asked.

"Do you love her? Would you do everything in your power to protect her?" he questioned.

Tommy paused for a moment to think then said, "Yes I would."

"Then she is your mate." Merrick told him. Tommy sat for a while considering Merrick's words, unaware that the Lunar Wolf Ranger had slipped away. It was almost half an hour later when he looked around and didn't find him. Slowly he went back inside and to his room, where Hayley was. Careful not to wake her, he shut the door and slid into bed. One of her arms found it's way around his waist as she snuggled against his side. Merrick's words floated through his mind.


End file.
